


Defective

by HickoryDox, Scarpath



Series: Roleplays with Hickory and Scarpath [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Haphephobia, Home Invasion, M/M, Mentions of Starvation, Panic Attacks, RP, Social Anxiety, flash backs, human phobia, implications of past rape/noncon, past bitty death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-18 16:12:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15489693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HickoryDox/pseuds/HickoryDox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarpath/pseuds/Scarpath
Summary: Edge is heading off for college. This means leaving his brother on his own… With no one to look after him… Well, that just didn’t sound like a great idea at all. So when he was came across a bitty sale and one of them happened to be a baby blue? A type that was known to be good at taking care of people? It was like a sign from the stars! Except this bitty might have a little more to it than your average, every day baby blue…





	1. Chapter 1

“I said I don’t need it!” Red shouted.

“I don’t care! You’re taking it! I already paid for it!” Edge shouted back.

“Then you keep it! I can take care a’ myself just fine!” 

“No you can’t! That’s why I’ve had to take care of you!”

Red flinched, as always hating to be reminded just how badly he’d failed as an older brother. Edge sighed, seeing the reaction.

“I’m not going to be here, Brother. If you won’t take it for you, then at least take it for me. For my own peace of mind.”

Now that just wasn’t damn well fair… Edge knew damn good and well Red couldn’t say no to him when he put it like that. Red sighed, a growl just under his breath.

“Fucking /fine/. Gimme the damn thing.”

The ‘damn thing’ happened to be a small, well ventilated box. Or, well, the thing that was /in/ the box. Edge had gotten him a bitty. Apparently, there had been a sale at one of the adoption centers along Edge’s route home from food shopping. Edge had been worried about how Red would cope by himself when Edge went off to college that night, and that sale had been like a sign from the stars. 

Particularly when one of the bitties on sale had been a baby blue, known for being good caretakers and companions. Edge hadn’t even had a second thought about his purchase.

Red reached for the box his brother held, but Edge didn’t immediately release it as Red tugged at it. He gave Red a very intent stare. “Promise me you won’t get rid of it.”

Red grumbled a little. “C’mon, Boss, I-”

“Promise me!”

A pause. Then another sigh, the fight draining from Red’s small frame. “I promise.”

Finally, Edge felt he could relax. “Thank you, Brother.” He let Red take the box, then stepped over to the little table by their front door where he kept his car keys in a little dish. “I will call when I get there.”

“Yeah…” 

Edge turned back towards Red, easily seeing through the angry act his brother often put on. It was obvious Red wasn’t handling the fact that Edge was leaving very well. It was one of the many reasons Edge had chosen to buy the bitty in the first place. He stepped back over to Red and laid a hand on his brother’s small, cracked skull.

‘I’ll miss you.’ Neither of them said it out loud. They didn’t need to.

Then Edge left. Red stood there and listened as the car’s engine started, then got quieter as it drove away. He sighed again.

He took the box into the kitchen where he set it on the counter. “A’right then. Let’s get a look at’cha.” He opened the top, looking inside with a sort of defeated annoyance.

~~

Blue hated adoptions. He hated that he needed to be someone's pet just to live comfortably. He tried time and time again to find a good home. One where he wouldn’t get kicked out when his ‘owners’ learned that he was... different.

But of course the greedy humans that ran the bitty care center didn’t care that Blue no longer wanted to be adopted. Bitties costed money for even the cheapest of care centers. However, some centers took advantage of the fact they were allowed to set the adoption fee. Blue was in the latter group. The owners of the BCC he ended up at ‘adopted’ bitties out for a hefty profit. And yet somehow people still bought from them.

It made Blue feel more like he was a thing than a living, thinking, sentient creature.

There was a sale on some of the bitties. Usually it was bitties like Blue who had left and returned to the center who went on sale. They just wanted the troublesome bitties out.

There was a strange monster eyeing him. He looked like a giant boss type bitty. Bosses didn’t usually care for baby blues, and Blue hoped that rang true with this monster, too.

His hope was in vain.

He was shoved into a box without any explanation. He guessed that he had been adopted(more like bought) by the large skeleton. He had to hold back an exacerbated sigh. He forced himself to smile, and his eyes to go starry. A normal baby blue would be super excited to be adopted, so Blue figured he should at least put up his usual act. He’d be the normal everyday bitty. Then at some point he’d slip up, and be sent back to the care center. Again.

Blue couldn’t bring himself to do the normal flow of chatter that most baby blues would have. The car ride was taken in silence.

When he got to his new house, his heart sunk as the giant Boss started arguing with someone else about him. This one would probably be another bad house. Blue didn’t think he’d be here long. Probably just long enough for his new owner to decide that the promise he made wasn’t worth dealing with Blue.

He wondered if it was even worth it to put up his usual show. Maybe if he was that odd not quite baby blue from the start they wouldn’t kick him out. It was almost worth trying, but Blue wanted to drag this out as long as possible. He hated that care center more than he hated acting like a normal baby blue. So when the box he was in was opened, Blue set a large grin on his face.

“Hello, sir! I’m the fabulous Blue! It’s nice to meet you!”

~~

He opened the box to stars and smiles and fucking sunshine... he almost wanted to shut the box again. He sneered at the little thing.

"Fuckin fantastic..." He didn't really know a whole lot about bitties. It had always weirded him out a little to see these tiny things that looked so much like him an his brother. He'd heard them described as anything from pets, to possessions, to just small people. He'd never really cared to find out which was more accurate. Hell, he still didn't particularly care, but now he was stuck with this little thing...

He reached into the box and snagged the blue by the back of his shirt, easily lifting the little thing out of the box to set him on the counter.

"The fuck'm I even s'pose ta do with ya?..." He wondered out loud, speaking to himself more than Blue.

~~

Blue fought back a wave of panic as he was lifted by his shirt. He found it very hard to stay calm when he got a good look at his new owner. He was a giant edgy, just like the other guy was a giant boss.

Stars, Blue was not looking forward to this house.

He held tight to his mask, despite how frustrating it felt to him. “Let me help you, of course! That was why I was brought here, wasn’t it?”

~~

"Tch. /'Of course'/... Listen, Kid. ya know what'd fuckin help me?" He shoved his hands into his pockets. leaning forward a bit with a sharp smile. "Leave me the fuck alone. I don't give a shit why Boss gotcha. I don't need ya. So you keep outta my way an' we'll get along just fine. Ya get me?"

~~

Oh stars. This was going to be worse than Blue thought. He had to think a moment about his next action. Should he push this monster? What would he even say? No it would probably be better to give the giant Edgy his space. 

“Oh.” Blue said, lacing his tone with fake disappointment. “If that’s what you wish, then the fabulous Blue will give you space!”

Blue looked down to the floor. It was going to be tricky getting down on his own, but he didn’t want to test his new owner. He’d rather not go back to the care center so soon.

~~

Red backed off, happy it had been that easy. "Glad we understand each other."

Then he turned to head to his room. where he had a little 'office space', consisting of a small desk, a computer, and far too many junk food wrappers. He had a few programs on his computer he needed to get patched before they were due back to his employer. It was dull work, but at least it paid well and made it so that he didn't have to go anywhere.

He shut his door behind him.

~~

Blue sighed as Red retreated. Maybe this would actually be a good thing. If Blue didn’t have to talk with Red much, maybe he wouldn’t slip up soon. And it’s not like Blue wanted to be doted on. That was just part of his weirdness.

Blue looked around, trying to familiarise himself with his new home. When he went to get down so he could look at the rest of the house, he had to pause. How was he going to get down from the counter? There wasn’t anything leaning against it he could use to get down or anything. He paced the space available to him, trying to find a way down.

It seemed he was stuck here. He didn’t even have anything to do. He considered calling out for Red, but he didn’t want to upset the skeleton.

Blue was in for a few long hours while he waited for Red to come back to the kitchen. He knew it wouldn’t be super long, since Red did need to eat. In the meantime he’d just have to deal with being bored. Maybe he could play with some of his magic? Surely he could come up with a game he could play with his summoned bones.

~~

It was a few hours before Red decided to take a break. Partially because he was hungry. Mostly because he'd gone and fallen asleep on his keyboard and his face hitting the keys had fucked up his code. He was /not/ going to deal with that yet.

Muttering a few curses to himself and rubbing his now aching jaw (keyboards were not comfortable!) he made his way to the kitchen. He was just trudging over to the fridge when he noticed Blue was still on the counter. 

He frowned. "The fuck're ya still-..." he stopped himself with yet another curse and groaned at himself, reaching to run a hand over his sockets. "If ya can't fuckin get down ya shoulda said somethin."

It wasn't his fault, he told himself. It was the blue! How was Red supposed to know what the little thing could or couldn't do? He'd never owned a bitty before. Hell, he hadn't even taken very good care of his pet rock! The hell had Edge been thinking, bringing a small living thing into the house and leaving it with /Red/?!

He stepped back over to the counter, already reaching to lift the bitty by his shirt again to set him down on the floor.

~~

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to disturb you. You asked me to stay out of your way.” Blue tried to hold his mask up, but wasn’t sure how well he was doing. Would a normal baby blue have called out to be let down? Well, it was too late now. And he was getting set down on the floor anyways, so it didn’t really matter.

~~

"Whatever..." Red grunted, already turning back to the fridge. He steadfastly denied the little strings of guilt that seemed to constrict around his chest as he grabbed his usual bottle of mustard from inside. He wasn't really feeling up to making anything. As he was pulling it out, however, he paused.

The bitty hadn't said anything about needing help down from the counter. Would he say anything if he was hungry? 

He growled a little and shut the fridge. Already the little thing was causing him more trouble than he would have liked. 

"Hey, Blue or whatever, what're ya s'pose ta eat?" He gazed down at the bitty on his floor, irritated.

~~

“The fabulous Blue just eats the same as any monster!” Blue shoved his mask back on, forcing himself to act with more energy than he had. He couldn’t quite get as peppy as a normal baby blue. He figured he should try to come up with another way to stay out of Red’s way. He’d be safe that way. He wouldn’t have to go back to the awful care center. He just had to stay out of the way.

“As long as you leave something in my reach, I can eat and not be in your way. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable!” I don’t want you to take me back to that place.

~~

"Uncomfor-.. Fuck you! Ya don't make me fuckin /uncomfortable/ ya little shit! I'm just /fine/ with ya bein here!" He set his mustard down on the counter then opened a cabinet, reaching in to grab a box of cheese crackers. He slammed the cabinet shut and tore open the box before setting it roughly on the ground. "There. /Bone/ appetit." 

He snatched up his mustard bottle then stalked away, snatching a bag of chips out of another cabinet as he went.

Stupid fucking bitty... Little asshole was pissing him off! He wasn't even exactly sure what it was about him that was rubbing him the wrong way so much. Maybe it was something about that tone... So passive and eager to please... So easily accepting what had already amounted to near neglectful behavior from Red. 

It just.... It pissed him off....

He went back to his room and slammed the door. He'd eat his lunch of mustard and chips, take a nap, get some more work done, and hopefully not have to leave his room for the rest of the day. 

~~

Blue flinched every time Red slammed something shut. He had to resist the urge to shy away when the food was slammed down next to him. He managed to wait until Red had left the room before starting to shake.

He really hoped Red didn’t turn out to be a hitter.

Of course, hope had never gotten Blue anywhere. He didn’t know what to do. He had tried not bugging his new owner. What was he supposed to do? Just doing what he was told had been met with anger. How was he supposed to avoid that anger?

Blue had started hyperventilating, fear having triggered a panic attack. He ended up pressed into a corner, gasping for air he couldn’t find. He wasn’t sure how long he was there, eventually ending up asleep in that spot, panic having sapped all his energy.

~~

He did end up spending a lot of the day in his room. he managed to straightened out the mistake he'd make earlier when he'd tried coding with his face, eaten most of his chips and drank half of his mustard bottle. He'd tried to nap, but he'd ended up laying awake in his bed for a good hour or two just thinking.

If Blue wasn't going to ask for the things he needed then how was Red supposed to know what to do with him? Sure, he'd wanted the little thing to leave him alone, but he hadn't wanted it to just sit around on a counter and be bored ans hungry for the hours he was in his room. Maybe Red could do a few things to make the house more bitty friendly... It would just save him a lot of work and worry if the damn thing could get around on its own and take care of itself better so Red wouldn't have to...

His thoughts were interrupted by the low buzzing of his phone in his pocket. This late in the day that could only be one person. He nearly dropped it in his eagerness to answer it, only to pause for a moment with his finger hovered over the 'accept call' button. He didn't want to give the impression that he wasn't handling his brother's absence well. He couldn't come off as too anxious to hear from him.

He let it ring just once more before he answered.

"Brother! Finally! Were you sleeping again? I've told you before that will just make you stay up all night!"

Red sagged, the sound of his brother's voice soothing a few frayed nerves, despite the scolding tone.

"Y'know me, Boss. I think any day is 'bed'der with a nap in it." His smile could be heard through the phone, almost as plainly as Edge's groan at the terrible joke.

"How're ya settlin in?" Red asked after a good chuckle, settling back against his pillows, ready for a long conversation. And long it was, as Edge detailed how his entire day had gone. He told Red about his new room mate, some fish woman named Undyne with a loud mouth and a louder personality. There were a lot of complaints, but Red could read between the lines enough to know that Edge actually rather respected her for that. It was difficult to find anyone who could match Red's brother in enthusiasm and energy.

It was nice, just listening, barely having to contribute to the conversation at all to keep it going. It was almost like Edge was still there. Red had to wonder if it was healthy to miss someone this much when they hadn't even been gone a day yet... Red decided he didn't care.

Eventually, Edge's retelling of the day's adventures did draw more or less to a close, however, and Red was confronted with the part of the conversation he hadn't been looking forward to so much.

"And how has your day been, brother? You had better not simply be wallowing in your own filth as you so like to do." 

"N-nah, Boss. I uh... Actually got some work done t'day." There was a pause on the other end of the line. edge had caught the stutter. Red had to suppress the sigh, knowing Edge was able to infer just from that, that Red hadn't actually had the best day. He only stuttered when he was nervous or lying after all.

"... And how are things with the bitty?..." 

Red cursed how perceptive his brother was.

"Fine. Just fine..." Red responded, voice low and curt.

Edge either wasn't able or hadn't bothered to try to suppress his own sigh. "Have you even spoken to it yet? Discussed rules? Expectations? Have you set it up with a living space?... Perhaps I should have left a list..."

Red was starting to sweat. Having a bitty really was a lot of fucking trouble. And knowing Blue, he probably wouldn't ask for any of the things he needed... Red was beginning to regret telling him to leave him alone. He hadn't thought the little thing would be quite that obedient.

His silence on the matter must have been telling. Edge clicked his teeth, a habit he'd developed to express when he was disappointing. It made Red's soul sink to hear it. "I am emailing you a list of websites detailing bitty care and advice. I want you to read them, understand?"

"Sure, Boss..." 

There was a yell in the background on Edge's end, then Red heard a little growl. It sounded aggravated, but almost fond. It brought a little bit of warmth back to Red's soul to hear it. Sounds like his brother was already making friends. 

"I have to go. A certain incompetent room mate of mine seems to have caught the microwave on fire."

"Heh. A'right. Go save the day, Boss."

"Of course I will!... Be well, Brother."

Red smiled softly. "You too, Boss."

The call disconnected and Red was left listening to the dial tone for a moment before he made himself hang up on his end as well. he laid there for another minute or two before he made himself get up and go to his computer. He had some research to do concerning the new resident of his house.

~~

Blue was woken up by the sounds of his new master talking. He cursed himself for falling asleep like that. Nothing he could do about that, but it was still frustrating. He didn’t know what set his new master off yet, he really needed to be more careful.

He went over to the food that had been left out for him. Thankfully it was just something light. The workers at the care center hadn’t bothered to feed him for about a week, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to stomach something heavier than the crackers. He forced himself to only eat a few, and to eat slowly.

His new master had seemed willing to feed him, but if he ate too much there was always the chance that he wouldn’t get fed more. One of his previous masters had only fed him three times in the month he had stayed with him, and Blue wasn’t eager to starve. He’d make this food last.

~~

He ended up spending a good hour just reading through the things Edge had sent him. He read up on the type of bitty he had, what sort of abilities his bitty had, and what sort of things his bitty needed. Turns out, he was going to need to get a lot more involved with the little thing than he'd planned. Bitties, apparently, didn't have the most stable souls. They needed to spend time around people who did have stable souls so that they could leech ambient magic in order to sustain themselves. Without that support, they tended to get sick. And in worse cases, even fall to dust...

Fuck... And he'd left Blue by himself all day! Red had barely finished that particular article before he was up out of his computer chair and striding out of his room in search of Blue.

He found Blue in the kitchen, still, just nibbling on some of the crackers Red had left out. Well, he didn't /look/ sick... 

Red felt some of his worry fade and was immediately irritated with himself. The hell was he getting so worked up for? 

At a much more sedate pace, he trudged over to the little thing and plopped himself down on the floor. "Uh, hey... Hi..." he greeted a little lamely, feeling awkward. He hated talking to people... "We need ta talk about some shit..."


	2. Chapter 2

Blue’s eyes widened. He tried to push down his instinctive fear. Had he really messed this up so bad already? Those words usually meant he was going to get sent back. He couldn’t go back so soon! It hadn’t even been a full day!

 

“Th-the Fabulous Blue is always willing to ta-talk!”  _ Crap! _ Baby Blues don’t stutter. That would just make things worse!

 

~~

 

He frowned a little harder at the stutter. Was Blue... Scared of him? Well shit... what had he expected? He'd done nothing but yell at the poor thing and neglect him. Blue had come into a new place with a person he didn't know and been immediately treated badly by someone who could probably crush him on /accident/, let alone what Red could do on purpose. Of course he was scared... Red would be too...

 

Red sighed, leaning back a little in an effort to be less intimidating. "Yeah..." He looked away, unable to meet those wide sockets and trembling little lights. "Ok so... Listen. about earlier..." He reached to scratch nervously at the back of his skull. "I've been kinda shitty. So m'sorry bout that."

 

He'd get to the other stuff soon enough, but the guilt simmering in his soul wouldn't let him go any longer without acknowledging it.

 

~~

 

Blue froze at the other’s words. He was... apologizing? That was... not what Blue was used to, at the very least. He was just a bitty, he was used to his feelings not mattering. Over the course of the past eight owners he’d had before this one, Blue had only been apologized to maybe five times? Three of those were as he was getting sent back to the bcc.

 

Regardless, Blue was going to hold hope that he wasn’t getting returned right up until he got put in the car. He  _ would _ be the peppy Baby Blue he was supposed to be! “It is alright!” He spoke with his false cheer, even when it felt like he was suffocating behind his mask. At least he didn’t stutter this time.

 

~~

 

Well... That was a little easier than he'd expected. Somehow, he didn't feel much better. He sighed.

 

"A'right... So my bro basically just read me the riot act fer not establishing ground rules or some shit. Figure he has a point I guess." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged lightly. "So here goes.  First n foremost, ya gotta realize I ain't a mind reader. If ya need somethin, tell me. If ya end up gettin hurt or sick cause ya didn't say somethin it's just gonna tick me off, got it?"

 

He growled a little, just trying to get his point across.

 

~~

 

“I understand!” Blue responded quickly. He’d probably end up testing this once or twice, but he doubted he’d actually get what he asked for. The workers at the care center would just beat any bitty who asked for things. Eventually even the most stubborn bitties learned not to ask, instead just waiting until they were cared for. Blue had seen more than one bitty dust from the lack of care. He’d ask though, just in case  _ not _ asking upset this monster.

 

He already felt like he was on thin ice with his new owner. He wondered if he’d be kicked back out again before the week even ended.

 

~~

 

Red nodded. "Ok. Lessee... I uh, read that'cha gotta spend time with me or ya get sick or somethin... So I guess ya don't really gotta leave me alone. Just... Don't touch me... N' we'll be good." He started to sweat a little at that. He didn't like admitting to his weaknesses. And more than that, he didn't want Blue asking questions about it. He didn't like talking about that kinda shit. 

 

"A-an' ya can go pretty much anywhere ya want in the house." He rushed to continue, not really wanting to hear a comment on that last rule. "An' yer welcome ta all the food we got... Uh... That'cha can get to?... Shit. Guess we should probably set ya up with somethin ya can reach, huh..."

 

He glanced around a bit and his eyes landed on one of the lower cabinets. It was where Edge kept the mixing bowls and some of their storage containers. he supposed that would probably work just fine. He scooted a little towards it so he could reach it easier then opened it to start taking things out to set on the counter. "This here should work, yeah?"

 

~~

 

“Y-yeah!” Blue was taken aback by the conversation. This seemed like it could be one of the best homes he had been to yet. While his new owner didn’t really seem to want him around, he had still apparently taken the time to research bitties. Not only that, but he was putting food where Blue would be able to reach it!

 

Blue didn’t even notice when his eyes changed to hearts.

 

All it seemed he had to do was ask when he needed something, and not touch his new owner. He could do that. “Thank you!”

 

~~

 

Red glanced over at the thanks and faltered as he was removing a stack of storage bowls from the cabinet. what was with that look?! he immediately turned back to his task, face flushing faintly pink. "I-it's nothin..." And it really was practically nothing. It wasn't exactly a big deal...

 

Cabinet newly empty, he stood and started opening all of the cabinets that had food so he had a better idea of what they had. "What kinda stuff ya want down there?" He shuffled things around as he looked through the contents of each cabinet. "We got chips, crackers, some fruit snacks, uhh..." He turned a can to see what it was, "..Ravioli... Can ya even open cans?" This one had a pull tab, but Blue was pretty small. 

 

~~

 

“I’m not sure? I’m not a picky eater, though. I’m fine with whatever you wish to give me!” Blue didn’t have to try to have the excitement he needed for once. He could hardly believe this was happening.

 

It could just be a trick. Heck, the worst of Blue’s owners had started off something like this, before trying to sell Blue to a fighting ring. However, even then he had felt like something had been off. Blue had learned to trust his instincts after he had managed to escape just in time.

 

Instead of feeling the way he did back then, Blue actually felt like he could trust this skeleton. That he would actually have free access to food. Not to mention that finally getting mostly positive interaction with a large monster was helping to soothe the nausea Blue had been stuck with for ages. He had learned to adapt to his soul not getting the proper support it needed. However, being able to survive was different from being comfortable. 

 

Blue felt better than he had in ages, and because of it, he let himself hope for just a moment that this would last.

 

~~

 

"I'll just put whatever down there fer now then..." He muttered, grabbing whatever looked like it would be quick and easy for someone as small as Blue. He grabbed an apple and a banana to put in Blue's cabinet too.

 

~~

 

Blue had to hold back a happy shout when he saw his owner put a couple pieces of fruit into the cabinet. He loved fruit, yet rarely got any. His favorite was grapes, but he was more than happy to get any kind of fruit.

 

“Where should I put the trash when I’m done eating?” Blue had spotted the trash can when he was stuck on the counter, and realized it would be way to tall for him to reach on his own. He didn’t want to upset his amazing new owner by leaving trash laying around. Perhaps he’d even clean some as a thanks.

 

~~

 

Red looked over to the trash can and saw the issue pretty much immediately. They had a standard sized can and that was obviously way too tall for someone of Blue's stature. Red's initial reaction was just to tell Blue it didn't matter. Red certainly never gave a shit about where his trash landed... The website he'd visited to learn about baby blues in particular said they were pretty clean little dudes though, so he figured Blue probably wouldn't like that response.

 

After thinking for a moment, he grabbed one of the mixing bowls from the counter and walked over to set it on the ground next to the trash.

 

"There." He said, somewhat proud of his ability to think outside the box. 

 

He looked back to Blue. "Anythin else ya need?"

 

~~

 

Blue gave the mixing bowl an odd look before shrugging it off. Might be a bit odd, but as long as it worked it didn’t really matter to him. “The fabulous Blue does not require anything else at the moment!”

 

The smile Blue wore wasn’t fake for once. He had asked for something, and gotten what he needed. No shouting, no beating, just a solution. It was like a dream come true.

 

It was then that Blue finally noticed that his eyes were taking the shape of hearts. That was... a little embarrassing. He quickly covered them for a moment as he forced them to go back to stars. He looked back up at his owner sheepishly, a light blue blush on his cheeks.

 

~~

 

Fuck. That was cute...

 

"A-a'right then...." He shoved his hands in his pockets and pointedly looked away from the way too fucking adorable display, the small frown on his face softened by the faint pink glow that accompanied it. "I uh... I got one more thing I wanted ta get through before I let ya alone fer the night though, so uh..." He considered picking Blue up to carry him, but he decided against it. "Come with me."

 

He turned and started walking towards his room.

 

~~

 

Blue followed, slightly nervous. He wasn’t sure what he should expect. He had to walk fairly quickly to keep up, and thankfully that took up enough of his mind to keep him from worrying too much. 

 

He hoped that things would continue to go well for him. This new monster seemed a bit rough around the edges, but Blue was quickly starting to like him as an owner.

 

~~

 

Red's room was a mess. Edge usually avoided going in there for just that reason. He kicked piles of dirty clothes and garbage alike out of his path as he walked through it so Blue would have a slightly less hazardous journey through it.

 

The destination was his computer desk. He sat in his seat, and when Blue got close enough he reached down and snagged him by his shirt so he could pick him up and deposit him on the desk where he could see the screen.

 

"Ya didn't really come with any accessories, pal." He shook the mouse, waking his computer so it displayed the last website he'd been on. It was a bitty shop. He had it open to the clothing section, but it also had tabs for tiny furniture, custom ladders, bitty dish sets, and other such things. "Figure we can get'cha set up with some stuff. Make life a little easier on the both of us."

 

~~

 

Blue’s eyes went wide as he saw the screen. He never had an owner care enough to buy him anything, and here this new one was, with a page open that had so much stuff on it. He was slightly overwhelmed. He glanced between his new owner and the screen a few times, as to confirm what was happening.

 

“R-really?” His voice was small, somewhat disbelieving. He didn’t even know some of this stuff existed, much less that it would ever be offered to him! He was just some odd, defective baby blue, he hardly deserved anything like this.

 

~~

 

"Nah. I brought ya in here just fer shits n'-..." He cut himself off when he saw the expression on Blue's face. Probably best not to poke fun when Blue looked like that. Red cleared his throat, face going a little red. "Of course 'really'. So c'mon. Ya gonna pick some shit or not? I get paid pretty well, so ya don't really gotta worry bout the prices or nothin."

 

He slowly started scrolling down the page, making sure Blue would have time to see the options on the screen.

 

He wasn't sure how he felt about Blue's reaction. He'd expected some happiness, sure, everyone liked getting presents after all. But Blue looked like he'd just been granted some impossible dream or something. It was just some clothes. Just a few bitty things. he sort of figured this kind of thing was par for the course for bitty ownership. 

 

But Blue seemed to be making such a big deal of this... Same as with the trash can thing, and the food. he wasn't sure he wanted to think about what kind of life Blue had to have had to evoke those kinds of reactions for things Red considered basic needs.

 

~~

 

Blue was slightly ashamed of himself when a few tears slipped down his face. His mask cracked. Well, no, that’s not quite accurate. His mask shattered into tiny pieces. He felt the urge to do something very stupid. To actually  _ tell _ this amazing person that he was wasting his money, since he was just a defect. He’d be risking the best home he’d ever had. But if he didn’t, he’d feel guilty for the rest of the time he spent there until he was found out and sent back.

 

“I- I’m not worth- I’m not worth spending money on. I’m just some defect who can’t even act like a Baby Blue should!”

 

There. He’d said it.

 

Blue looked away from his owner, shaking. He’d just be sent back to the care center now, but at least he wasn’t lying to this amazing monster.

 

~~

 

Red grit his teeth. 'Defect'. Uttered like it was the worst insult in the world. Like it made him so much less than what he was supposed to be. Like being /different/ made him /worthless/.

 

It pissed him off.

 

It pissed him off because he could fucking sympathize...

 

Red was broken. He'd been broken years ago. And since then he hadn't been the same. He couldn't leave the house without having an anxiety attack. He couldn't let others touch him without breaking into a cold sweat or sometimes even having a screaming fit depending on who was doing the touching. And stars forbid he spend more than two seconds in the presence of a human...

 

Red was defective too. And it pissed him off to hear someone else say the same things he told himself far more often than he should...

 

"Now you listen up ya little shit." he growled, voice low and deep, glaring down at the bitty. "I don't give a fuck how yer s'pose ta act or what yer s'pose ta be. Yer my bitty. And that's all ya fuckin need ta be. Got it?" He turned back to the screen, glaring at that too. "Now help me pick out yer shit. I dunno what ya like unless ya tell me."

 

~~

 

Blue could only stare at his owner for a long moment. He... didn’t care? Blue wouldn’t have to pretend?

 

It took some effort, but Blue tore his gaze from his new owner and turned to the screen. Tears continued to streak down his face as he shakily pointed out to a cute hoodie on the screen. It was advertised as being for a sansy or lil bro. Not for a baby blue. Blue could hardly dare to hope that he could get something comfortable like that.

 

~~

 

Red didn't even hesitate. He added the hoodie to his cart, then went back to slowly scrolling. He decided to be decent and ignore the tears. He wouldn't have liked it if someone made a big deal if Red was crying over something like this. 

 

"Wasn't so hard, now was it. Now do that a couple more times n' we might be gettin somewhere."

 

~~

 

Blue wiped at his eyes multiple times as he pointed out things that seemed nice. Clothes that seemed soft, unlike the cheap crap the workers at the care center gave him. Some dishes and silverware so he wouldn’t have to eat with his hands. An actually bitty sized  _ shower _ . He didn’t even know those existed!

 

A bed and sheets for it so he wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor or couch. Ladders so he could move around the house. His owner just put them in the cart. 

 

It was like a dream to Blue. Except he’d never even dared to imagine that someone would look past his oddness. Never dared to imagine that someone would be willing to spend so much money on him. He was barely holding back sobs as he finally stopped seeing things that he wanted or didn’t already have in the cart.

 

~~

 

He actually ended up spending more than he'd planned. There was no way he was about to deny Blue anything now, though, so item after item was placed in the cart with no regard to price. He really was pretty well off financially. He had a fairly good bit of money saved up too. He'd been planning to spend it on a fancy new computer for his brother for school, but the one Edge had was fine. Red had just been wanting to spoil his brother.

 

Blue seemed like he could use the spoiling slightly more. So he clicked through the checkout without comment. He made sure to select the rush shipping option.

 

"There we go. Should be here in two ta three days."

 

~~

 

“Thank you.” Blue tried to convey just how thankful he was with those words, though he knew it fell short. He could hardly believe that something like this was happening. No one had ever done anything like this for him. He didn’t even know his new owner’s name!

 

Actually, that’s probably something he should ask. He usually didn’t care about the names of his owners, but he actually liked this one for once. Maybe he’d even get a name of his own, instead of just continuing with his type! 

 

He had to take a deep breath to calm down a little. Thankfully his tears had slown, and he felt like he could be understood if he talked now. “Um, what’s your name? I never asked, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

 

Blue somewhat shyly looked at his owner. He felt kinda bad for not having asked sooner.

 

~~

 

Red jerked and looked back down at Blue from the computer. Shit! He hadn't even introduced himself! This whole thing really had gotten off to such a shitty start... And now that he knew a little more about Blue... Well, he just felt kind of like an asshole.

 

"Nah, don't worry bout it. Ain't yer fault. I uh... Kinda didn't give ya much of a chance did I..." He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders a little. He smiled apologetically. "Name's Red. and ya said yer name was Blue, right? Nice ta meet'cha."

 

~~

 

“Oh, I don’t really have a name. I just call myself Blue like Baby Blue since that’s what a lot of others do before they get a name.” Blue looked away as he said this, slightly embarrassed. “I just haven’t had anyone care enough to give me a name of my own.”

 

~~

 

He felt his soul twist with guilt again at bringing up a subject that seemed to hurt the bitty. It was probably good this was coming up now though, rather than later.

 

"Then let's pick somethin. Ya got anythin in mind? I gotta warn ya, if ya leave it ta me it might end up bein pretty stupid. I kinda suck at that kinda shit. Heh."

 

~~

 

Blue’s eyes widened. He was actually getting a name? “No! I’d be glad for any name!”

 

When he was really young, Blue remembered a kind Sansy who had practically raised him. The Sansy, Jer, told him stories of nice full sized monsters and humans. One thing he’d told Blue flashed to his mind in that moment.

 

_ “You know you’ve found a good home when they name ya.” _

 

~~

 

"Heh. A'right, uh... Lemme see..." He sat back in his chair, letting the whole thing lean a bit as he stared up at the ceiling to think. He really was bad at names... The bitty seemed so eager for one from him though and that new disability he had to say no to the little guy was making him put some actual effort into thinking of one.

 

Try as he might, however, all he could think of were names poking fun at the bitty's size. Munchkin, shortstack, squirt... They all sounded so dumb! Welp... Maybe he could just pick one that would be easy to shorten...

 

He sat back up, moving to cross his arms on the desk. "How bout Pipsqueak? Could call ya Pip fer 'short'." He chuckled a little, half expecting a protest or even an outright rejection.

 

~~

 

Blue- no, Pip smiled widely at Red. “I like it!”

 

Pip couldn’t remember a time when he’d been this happy. After years of getting tossed back and forth between the care center and bad owners, he was finally in a place he could be happy. “Thank you so much! I’ve always wanted a name!”

 

This time when his eyes flickered into hearts, Pip didn’t care. Red was the best thing that had happened to him.

 

~~

 

"Y-yeah?" His smile twitched up a bit, surprised the name had been accepted so easily. And stars.. The way Pip was looking at him. Like he was just the best person in the world... He covered his eyes with a hand, turning away slightly as his face colored and he smiled a bit bashfully. "Shit, kid. Put that thing away! Ya could weaponize that smile."

 

He smooth his hand from his eyes back over the top of his skull and gave a little chuckle before pushing away from the desk and standing. "Well, Pip, I dunno bout you, but all that shoppin made me hungry. How bout we get some dinner?"

 

He started to reach for Pip to set him down on the floor when he stopped and reconsidered the move. he was wearing his coat still... It probably wouldn't be too bad if pip wanted to sit on his shoulder... As long as the little guy didn't get chummy with his skull or anything... And the bitty website had suggested it...

 

"Uh... Would ya like ta walk or ride?" He decided to ask, leaving it up to Pip.

 

~~

 

“I can walk. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Pip kinda wanted to ride on Red’s shoulder like those bitties in the pictures, but he remembered how nervous Red had seemed when he said that Pip wasn’t to touch him.

 

Red was going out of his way to help Pip settle in, and Pip figured this was the least he could do to make up for it.

 

~~

 

Red didn't think he liked the way that was phrased. And despite the fact that he was pretty sure Pip meant it exactly the way it sounded, he couldn't help but feel a bit offended and defensive. 

 

"If it was gonna bother me I wouldn't'a offered. So I guess if ya ain't got any other reason not ta, then looks like yer riding the skeleton express." he snagged Pip gently by the back of his shirt again and deposited the little guy on his shoulder. The fluff of his hood really did serve as a pretty good barrier, letting Red feel perfectly fine about his bitty being so close to him. And with as thick as his coat was, he could barely feel Pip's weight at all.

 

Yeah. This was fine.

 

"Besides, this way ya can look through the fridge with me without me havin ta hold ya up or some shit." he turned to walk towards the kitchen, careful not to move in any way that might dislodge his tiny passenger.

 

~~

 

Pip let a small, shy smile take over his face. He was careful to only hold onto the fabric of Red’s coat as he moved. “Alright.”

 

Pip’s small soul felt light with joy. Or maybe just with the fact that it was healthy for the first time in ages- if not ever. He had a home with a monster who actually decided to care for him. He didn’t have to keep pretending he was something he wasn’t.

 

And yeah, Red might be a bit mean, but Pip didn’t mind. If anything, he felt that this monster had seen his fair share of the bad side of the world, too.

 

Red felt like home.


	3. Chapter 3

That's what Red thought. Looked like he'd have to look out for a tendency to deny himself and prioritize others from his little bitty. The little idiot.

 

"A'right, so I'm gonna warn ya now. I can't cook fer shit. So our options are junk food, microwave dinners, or take out. Pick yer poison." He spoke as he walked, moving over to the fridge and opening it both so he could see what Edge brought home after grocery shopping that morning and so Pip could see his options.

 

~~

 

Pip hummed as he looked over the contents of the fridge. He noticed some grapes that he’d have to keep in mind for later.  In the end he just pointed to some random microwave dinners. “I think microwave food would be fine for today.”

 

~~

 

"Quick n easy it is." he decided to take out two. if Pip couldn't finish his then it wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

He put in the first one and decided to go ahead and wait right there. It would only take a few minutes. As he stood there, however, he couldn't help but think over the events of the day.

 

Things hadn't gone well at the start. He'd been pretty resolved to have a shitty day even before pip had been brought into the picture, though. With Edge leaving today, Red had been certain he'd be miserable and lonely. Not only today, but likely for weeks. 

 

But now...

 

He smiled. "Hey, Pip... M'glad my bro brought ya home."

 

~~

 

Pip returned Red’s smile with a large one of his own. He was happy to know that Red actually liked him being around. “I’m glad to be home.”

 

~~

 

Red had Pip sleep on his pillow that night. the website he'd been reading said bitties do best sleeping /on/ their owners, but Red obviously couldn't do that. Next to his head was the closest he figured he could get.

 

It was probably fine, given how happy it seemed to make Pip anyway. Welp. At least the little bed he got Pip could be used for naps during the day, if nothing else...

 

That next day he was able to talk to his brother on the phone and actually have some good things to say. It was nice to be able to chat and not worry about how Edge might respond to something Red had done to disappoint him. By the end of the call Red had actually felt... Kind of god damn light. Because for a moment, edge had actually sounded /proud/. Red had been starting to wonder if Edge was even capable of that anymore in regards to Red himself.

 

On day three, Red woke to a knock on the door. At first, he jolted, his breathing picking up, but when his eye caught sight of the bitty on his pillow, also just waking up, he was reminded that there was probably a reason for that knock. It wasn't just a random person coming to say hi. They'd been expecting a delivery.

 

Excitement building, he sat up. He knew he didn't need to actually open the door. He'd included special instructions in his order to just leave it on the door step. "Hey, Pip. Guess who's there."

 

~~

 

_ It had started off great. Blue was finally adopted by someone who was being nice to him. He could eat his fair share of food. This new human seemed good. However, something told Blue that he should be careful. _

 

_ It started when he overheard a phone call. His new human had said something about how he had gotten a Baby Blue. As the call went on, he got more nervous. The human talked about how Blue was a bit dull for a Baby Blue, but he’d still keep him. How he hoped Blue would still act like one after he started. Blue wasn’t sure what ‘he started’ was supposed to mean, but somehow he knew it was bad. _

 

_ He learned what it was the next day. _

 

_ The human had gotten upset at something on the tv. Blue had asked him if he was alright. He was answered with a smack. _

 

_ Blue quickly became this man’s punching bag. He hid where ever he could to avoid the human’s rages. _

 

_ Blue had fallen asleep on the couch. He was woken up by getting shoved off the couch and hitting the ground with a  _ crack _ that turned out to be his arm breaking. A kick broke two ribs. _

 

_ The beating went on and on, until Blue wished he could just die already. Surely that would be better than this pain. _

 

Pip woke with a gasp when there was a pounding on the door. When a voice spoke near him, he let out a shout. He didn’t understand what was said or where he was. He just knew that he had to get  _ away. _ He ran, jumping down from the bed onto a pile of clothes. He raced to the living room, darting under the couch as a good hiding place.

 

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He needed to be quiet quiet quiet. Breathing was loud too loud too loud. He slapped his hands over his mouth, trying to muffle his panicked breathing.

 

He couldn’t be found! If  _ he _ found him he hurt him again and again and it would hurt hurt.

 

Pip’s vision started to blacken, which only heightened his fear. He couldn’t  _ breathe _ . The black creeped until it filled his vision, and he slumped, no longer thinking.

  
~~

 

Red figured out that something wasn't quite right just a second too late. Then Pip was off, running as fast as his tiny little legs could take him. Which was actually kind of surprisingly fast. Red cursed and moved to go after him. If he lost sight of him then who knew when he'd be able to find him again! There were so many little nooks and crannies in the house where a bitty could hide!

 

"Pip! Wait up, man! C'mon, it's fine!" It wasn't a good idea to be shouting. He knew it wasn't, on a logical level, but his bitty was having some kind of attack or flashback and Red was freaking out just a little. He'd never been on this side of an episode before. He suddenly had a lot more respect for his brother for dealing with this shit...

 

He got to the living room just in time to see a tiny body disappear beneath the couch. Red started towards it before he paused. wait a second. Just breathe. Red wouldn't do any good if he was panicking right along side his bitty. So he breathed. In to the count of four. Out to the count of five. In. Out. Calm down. Ok.

 

He stepped over to the couch and knelt down, peering underneath. He could just make out the still form of his little friend in the dark. "Pip?" He spoke softly, trying his damndest to be soothing. It wasn't easy with a voice more prone to growling than anything else. "Hey pal. You ok back there? I ain't gonna touch ya, promise. Won't even make ya come out. But do ya think ya could talk ta me?"

 

~~

 

Pip couldn’t respond, trapped back in his own mind. He had passed out, which only allowed more haunting images to flood his mind. He was forced to relive another of his worst memories. 

 

_ “He needs more food! He’s still so young, are you really going to starve him before he even has a chance to get adopted?” Jer spoke to the care center staff in a tone louder than Blue had ever heard from the Sansy. _

 

_ Despite how hungry he was, Blue wished Jer hadn’t spoken up. The staff fed Blue, but at the cost of Jer’s own feeding time. They never fed Jer, no matter how desperately he begged. _

 

_ Blue’s last memories of Jer were of him flashing the young bitty a sad smile and careful words. “You’ll find a good home one day, Blue. Just hang on for me, okay?” _

 

Pip woke in tears. Jer had been like a father to him, and in the end had dusted just so Pip could eat.

 

Red’s voice brought Pip out of his memories. He crawled out from under the couch. He wanted to hug Red, but remembered that Red didn’t want touched. Instead of breaking one of the only rules Red had given him, Pip raised his arms. Tears rolled down his face as he hoped that Red would be willing to hold him.

 

~~

 

Pip didn't move and it had the edges of panic clawing at the inside of his rib cage. Breathe, he reminded himself. Just keep talking. Just like Edge did. Just be here.

 

So that's what he did, continuing to speak softly, letting Pip know he was ok, that he was safe, that Red wouldn't ever hurt him. He didn't know where Pip's episode had stemmed from, what exactly had happened to him, so Red could only take shots in the dark as far as comforts went. It seemed to work ok though, as a short time later Pip came crawling out.

 

Red would have breathed a sigh of relief, if not for the way Pip reached for him when he came out. Red's soul lurched. 

 

Red didn't sleep in his coat. It was too warm. Too bulky. All he was wearing was a t-shirt and his shorts. The thought of pressing another person, even one as small as Pip, up against himself when he'd be able to /feel/ them had him breaking out into a cold sweat. But what kind of asshole would he be to deny his small friend such a small comfort after what had just happened? So Red started to reach for him. 

 

His hands shook. His breathing sped up. He felt sick...

 

He'd never felt so useless...

 

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a throw blanket on the couch. He reached for it, the band around his chest easing with the easy out, even as his soul sank to his feet. He pulled the blanket over his lap, bunched up thick enough that he wouldn't be able to feel the bitty through it, then haltingly reached for Pip, feeling ashamed when he could only lift his little friend by the back of his shirt to move him to the blanket.

 

"S-sorry, pal... This ok?..." His voice shook. He felt so ashamed. Pip needed him... He should have been able to do more...

 

~~

 

Pip sniffed as he started to calm down. He ended up laying down on the blanket, tired out from his outburst. He let out a sleepy ‘sorry’ as he started to fall back asleep. Thanks to his nightmare, he felt like he hadn’t slept at all that night. He let out a sleepy yawn, and a tiny, soft purr started rumbling in his chest.

 

He felt safe as he drifted off.

 

~~

 

Red sighed as Pip fell to sleep. He heard, more than felt, the soft purr start up. Smiling softly, he slowly shifted until he could sit with his back against the couch. He hadn't been able to do much, but it seemed to have been enough. He was endlessly thankful. 

 

He gently tugged free a corner of the blanket then tucked it up around the sleeping form of his bitty. His hand hovered for a moment over Pip's back before he slowly, so slowly, lowered his hand over it. He was barely touching him. Could only faintly feel that purr or the soft rise and fall of his breath.

 

Red let out a breath of his own and leaned back, settling more comfortably. "I gotcha, kid." He wouldn't move from that spot for anything. The delivery on his front step would be fine until Pip woke up.

 

~~

 

Pip didn’t sleep for too long, just an hour or so. He felt a hand on his back, pinning a corner of a blanket down between them. He was warm, and seeing that Red was still holding him was enough to make Pip’s purr stronger than it had ever been.

 

He’d never really had much of a reason to purr in the past. It was quiet and a little rough due to his lack of practice. He wondered how much practice he was going to get in the future.

 

He shifted a bit to let Red know he was awake, and shot him a happy smile. The lights in his eyes had settled into the hearts they often took around Red.

 

~~

 

The purr got a bit louder and Pip shifted. Red immediately pulled his hand back, both allowing for the bitty's free movement and stopping whatever negative reaction Red could have had to the feeling in its tracks. he smiled gently down at Pip.

 

"Hey! He lives! Was startin ta wonder there fer a sec." he chuckled.

 

~~

 

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Pip responded sheepishly as he sat up. He carefully got down from Red’s lap, hopping down from a spot where the blanket covered Red’s leg. He turned back to Red with a happy smile. “Thank you for letting me sleep on you. I feel much better now!”

 

~~

 

"No problem." Once he was free of the little weight, he gathered the blanket and stood, turning to lay the out over the back of the couch where it was supposed to be. More as just something to do with his hands as he next spoke, than for any real need for the space to be tidy. "So uh... Do ya wanna talk about it?" He didn't need to elaborate. they both knew what he was asking about. He wouldn't push, but if Pip wanted to talk, he would listen.

 

~~

 

Pip froze at the question, smile turning strained. He remembered the week before he had been brought to Red. One of the care center staff seemed to think that Pip would tattle about the conditions at the care center. He had been carefully beaten, then denied food up until he had been adopted.

 

It was common practice at the care center, too. They knew what they were doing was wrong, so they beat and starved and did any number of awful things to the bitties to keep them quiet.

 

However...

 

If it actually made a difference, then it might just be worth it. If he could save other bitties from suffering like Jer did, and like Pip did himself, then he knew it would be worth it.

 

Pip was fairly sure the reason he had ended up with so many bad owners laid in the mistreatment of the care center. After all, no good care center would sell bitties to drug addicts, fighting ring recruiters, and known abusers, right?

 

Pip shot Red a small, nervous nod.

 

~~

 

After a moment of silence passed, Red turned back towards Pip, ready to let him know he didn't have to talk about a damn thing if he didn't want to. But just as he turned, he saw a little nod. Red felt both relieved and apprehensive. It was good that Pip was willing to talk. It didn't do anyone any sort of good to keep the bad things bottled up. He could already tell, though, that he was /not/ going to like what he was about to hear...

 

"How bout I get us some hot chocolate. Somethin tells me we'll both need it." So he went to the kitchen and set some milk to heat. While waiting for that he went to the front door and found the package from the bitty store. 

 

"An' we can even break in some a' yer new stuff!" He set it on the floor to open it, then dug out the separate packages that had Pip's new blankets and his dish set. He dug out a more comfy outfit too, including that first hoodie Pip had picked out. 

 

"A while ago, my bro suggested that if ya gotta bring up the bad shit, it's a good idea ta have a bunch’a good shit on hand ta balance it out." He held the outfit out to Pip. "Do ya wanna get changed while I go get the cocoa set up?"

 

~~

 

Pip let out a short yes. He was trying to decide what to say as he got comfy in his new clothes. Just how much should he tell Red?

 

He'd start with his second nightmare, he figured. He'd tell the rest depending on what Red said.

 

When he went back to Red, he made sure to give another thank you. He really was glad for all the things Red had gotten for him.

 

~~

 

Red left Pip to get dressed while he went and fixed up the cocoa. He didn't even try to get anything mixed in pip's tiny cup, instead just pouring some in from his own mug. he brought them both back to the living room and grinned at how cozy Pip looked in his new clothes.

 

"Heh. Don't worry bout it, kid." He sat on the couch, setting the cups down on the coffee table so he could lift Pip up onto the couch. He snagged the little bitty blanket he'd unpacked a moment ago and tucked it around his bitty buddy before handing him his cocoa. "Hope m'not choco'late' t'the party." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood before it was inevitably darkened.

 

~~

 

Pip took a few sips of his cocoa to help him calm down enough to talk. His soul was fluttering with nerves. He knew it was irrational to think, but he kept feeling like any second now one of the care center staff would come steal him away from Red.

 

“I’m gonna start w-with the second dream. It-it’s the mo-more important one. The ca-care center st-staff aren’t go-good people. There was- there was a Sansy, Jer, wh-who was like a fa-father to me. He ha-had noticed that the st-staff weren’t feeding me, so he- he asked them to fe-feed me. But...” Pip’s eyes unfocused as he remembered some of the things he’d seen at the care center. He shook himself and took another sip of his cocoa before continuing.

 

“Yo-you don’t ask for th-things at th-that care center. Wh-while they did feed m-me, they decided that th-the proper pu-punishment was... was to ne-never feed hi-him ag-again. He died because of me!”

 

Pip buried his head in the blanket Red had wrapped him in, tears starting to flow again.

 

~~

 

Red's face went dark. he'd expected some bad owners. Previous families that had been anything but... But the adoption center Pip had actually come from? There was something profoundly wrong with that... And it wasn't just Pip who had suffered... It felt like he'd been dunked in ice water.

 

"It wasn't yer fault..." He set his mug down and reached for a corner of Pip's blanket, the closest he could bring himself to touching his friend. "You ain't the one who starved him, Pip. It was... Those fucking care center bastards..."

 

~~

 

Pip drank more of his cocoa before wiping his eyes. “That wasn’t the only thing they do. I... I’ve lost tr-track of how many... Of how ma-many bitties I’ve seen d-du-dusted-ed on purpose. An-and I’ve hea-heard stories fr-from oth-other bitties. Th-they said that the-there’s supposed t-to be mo-more to the adop-adoption process. To ma-make sure-re that bit-bitties don’t go to a-abus-abusers.” Pip’s stutter got worse as he kept talking, kept remembering. 

 

The beatings. The starvings. The bitties that were dropped to fall to their deaths. The child bitty who had cried too much. The bitty who failed to hide their pregnancy.

 

Too many times Pip had only been able to watch as other unlucky bitties turned to dust.

 

~~

 

Red gripped the corner of blanket between his fingers a little harder. "I-... We'll get this fixed. I'll talk ta my bro, see what he suggests. He's uh... He's goin ta school fer all this legal stuff, ya know? We'll make sure those assholes have a /bad fucking time/." His eye lights guttered out for a moment, his anger showing through a little more than he'd intended. 

 

~~

 

Pip gave Red a shaky smile. He drank the last of his cocoa, trying to get the courage to tell Red one last thing.

 

“Ju-just be careful. They usually kill bitties that they think might tell, but I doubt they catch everyone. I’m su-sure that someone has ta-tattled before, but no-nothing came from it. They were gonna kill me, too. But they’d decided that they’d let someone adopt me if they wanted to before I dusted from hunger. I actually kinda wanted it. Before you, I never had a kind owner.”

 

“I’m not sure if I’d still be alive if it wasn’t for you.”

 

~~

 

Hearing what the center had tried to do... That Pip had almost-... Red's magic flashed. The hand that wasn't holding on to Pip's blanket dug into the couch, his claws shredding the cushion.

 

He closed his eyes. He took a breath. Fuck. He wanted to scream! He wanted to curse! He wanted to fucking go kick those center peoples' asses!... He breathed out.

 

More than anything, he wanted to hold Pip...

 

He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch once more and more or less folded in on his lap. "C'mon over here, Pal." he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. "An' I think we need some more good shit. What'chu think? Pizza or chinese?" they'd sit together. Maybe watch a movie. They'd have some good food and red would make damn sure Pip didn't ever go hungry again.

 

Later... He would deal with that fucking center later... Right now Pip was the important thing. And Red would be there for him however he could.

 

~~

 

Pip stared at the shredded couch cushion for a long moment. However, when Red offered him a space on his lap, he shook it off. He got comfortable on the blanket, shooting Red another small smile. “Pizza sounds good.”

 

Settled in Red’s lap, Pip realized he really was safe here. The care center staff wouldn’t be able to get him. He wouldn’t have to worry about where his next meal would come from. He wouldn’t have to worry about owners beating him. He wouldn’t have to worry about getting sold to a fighting ring. For the first time in his life, Pip was safe.

 

He didn’t mean to cry, but before he realized it, tears were flowing down his face. He shot Red a smile large enough to make his cheeks hurt. “Thank you. I’m finally safe, thank you.” He continued in a stream of thank yous. 

 

~~

 

Red ordered their pizza, with everything on it of course, then flipped on the TV. He kept Pip as close as he could, told a few jokes and generally just tried to keep a happy mood. after the movie, they unpacked Pip's box of bitty goodies and set them up around the house. 

 

Hearing those 'thank you's had broken his heart. Pip was thankful that he was /safe/. That wasn't something someone should ever have to be thankful for. It should just be a given. And Pip was so damn small... he should have been protected and cared for...

 

Well. He would be from now on. Red would make sure of that. The little guy was too sweet natured to have been dealt the hand he got.

 

~~

 

Pip found himself in love with all the bitty sized things Red had gotten for him. He ended up running around with Baby Blue enthusiasm as he tested all the ladders they had set up. He loved being able to get so high up without getting stranded.

 

By the time he finished running around, Pip had exhausted himself. He ended up curled in his new bed, happy. He was asleep in moments.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later he woke feeling like shit. he couldn't remember what he'd dreamed about, but it left vague, unsettling impressions on his mind. Impressions of drunken smiles, laughter that was just a little too loud, and hands... Fucking hands, touching him, tearing at him, making him helpless...

 

It pissed him off. It had been literal years dammit! It shouldn't still affect him like this!

 

But it did... It affected him every day... When he couldn't go to the store like a normal monster. When he couldn't hug his brother. When he couldn't comfort a crying bitty... He sighed, thinking of Pip. The little guy deserved better...

 

Maybe he'd just stay in bed today...

 

~~

 

Pip gave a small frown from his vantage point on Red’s pillow. He didn’t know Red all that well, so he only had his own experiences to go off of. His own experiences, however, told him that if you lied awake in bed for that long, then it was a Bad Day.

 

It seemed like it was Pip’s turn to take care of Red. He climbed down from the bed without a word, making his way over to the kitchen. He looked through his food cabinet, settling on strawberry Pop-Tarts. A quick trip to the toaster and he was struggling to get back up onto the bed with the food for Red.

 

Once he finally made it up, he sat a little ways away from Red’s head, sat the food pointedly in his direction, and waited.

 

~~

 

He just sort of drifted for a while, not really caring enough to pay attention to what was going on around him. he had a vague hope that Pip would be able to entertain himself today. It made Red feel guilty to leave the little guy on his own, but he just couldn't muster up the will to move. He didn't want to get up and walk around in his tiny little house with all of it's familiar walls and flaws. How long had it been now since he'd last been outside? he almost missed it... But the thought of even just /possibly/ running into a human was enough to get his pulse up. He was so pathetic...

 

After a while, he noticed some movement on his bed. For half a second his panic surged, but then he reminded himself that he wasn't alone here. Pip was here. And Pip had brought him... Pop tarts?...

 

He stared for a moment. Damn... Pip really was such a god damn sweetheart. Which just made his soul feel heavier when he couldn't accept his friend's present.

 

"Heh... Sorry, pal... Not really hungry right now..." He tried on a smile and it felt like it didn't belong on his face. So he gave up and just pulled his blanket up over his skull. "M'just gonna take a nap. Why don'cha go watch tv or somethin..."

 

~~

 

Pip sighed. He had hoped Red would eat. He’d leave the food there, maybe having it close enough would be enough to convince Red to eat even just a little by the end of the day. Task one in operation take care of Red was mostly a failure, but he’d just have to keep going!

 

He hummed, trying to decide what he should to next. He couldn’t hug Red, and Red already had a blanket. Maybe he’d drink hot cocoa if Pip could get it to him? No, that’d take too much work and Red would just feel worse if he didn’t drink it. Perhaps just being there near Red would be best.

 

Plan made, Pip left the bed once more, this time in pursuit of entertainment. It was awkward trying to get the book he’d grabbed onto the bed, but he managed it eventually. He settled down, and started to read aloud. Hopefully Red was in the mood for some Harry Potter.

 

~~

 

When Pip left, Red had hoped he'd just listened to him and went to watch Tv. But a short time later he felt the bed shift again under his tiny weight. Red sighed. Didn't Pip get it? He wanted to be alone! He wasn't going to be any kind of good company right now so-...!

 

Pip started speaking, the lines recognizable, the tone that of a storyteller. Pip was reading to him...

 

Tears welled in his sockets and he curled his fingers in the blanket he still had pulled up over his head. He remembered reading to his little brother when they'd both been younger. Edge had never had an easy time getting to sleep at night, but Red's voice had always seemed to help send the little guy off to dreamland. Sometimes he'd read when Edge was sick or if he'd had a bad dream. 

 

But Red had never had anyone read to /him/ before...

 

So he laid there and he listened. It wasn't like pip was asking any more than that of him right now anyway. As his mind was carried away to a land of weird magic and flying brooms, he found a bit of weight lifting from his soul.

 

~~

 

Pip wasn’t sure if it was working or not when Red had his blanket over his head, but he kept reading anyways. He’d keep reading until Red asked him to stop-

 

Or when Pip’s stomach gave a loud growl. If he wanted Red to eat, then he needed to set an example. And while the amount of magic needed for a skeleton to speak was small, Pip didn’t have a very large amount of magic to start with. If he wanted to keep reading out loud, he needed to replenish his magic.

 

“Shoot I forgot a bookmark. Page fifty-two. Gotta remember that.” Pip grumbled to himself as he closed the book and headed out to the kitchen. He left the Pop-Tarts for Red, hoping that he’d eat while Pip was off getting his own food. He managed to down a full banana and filled the bitty sized water bottle Red had gotten him, filling it with water.

 

Pip climbed back up onto the bed after that, ready to keep reading.

 

~~

 

Pip read for a fairly long time. After a while, it lulled Red into a sort of half awake state. He was too awake to sleep, but he wasn't fully aware either. Until Pip stopped reading anyway. Only when he realized why Pip had stopped did he understand how long pip had been reading to him. They'd wasted half the day like this already.

 

When Pip came back, Red pulled the blanket down enough to peek out. "Ya don't gotta keep readin... Wouldn't ya rather be doin somethin else?" There weren't a whole lot of things to do around the house, but Pip couldn't actually want to keep reading for so long. Wasn't he getting tired?

 

~~

 

Pip considered Red’s words for a moment. He was getting a little tired of reading, but it seemed to be helping Red. However, he got the feeling that Red was getting frustrated by the fact that Pip was doing this.

 

Pip just wasn’t quite sure if it would be better for him to stay or to go do other stuff.

 

When he saw the uneaten Pop-Tarts, Pip got an idea. He just hoped that it wouldn’t make Red feel worse.

 

“If you eat, I’ll go do other stuff if you want me to. Otherwise I’m just gonna read some more.”

 

~~

 

Red knew manipulation when he saw it, but even then he couldn't really fault Pip for it. Poor little guy was worried. 

 

Red sighed. He really didn't want Pip to sit around all day reading when he could be doing things he actually enjoyed. So he reached for one of the pop tarts. As he took a bite, he gave Pip a look.

 

~~

 

Pip gave Red a relieved smile. He knew pop tarts weren’t enough for a full day, but at least Red was eating something. He worked his way down from the bed, trusting Red to finish eating.

 

He went off in search of something to do. Maybe he’d draw something. It was a bit hard when most of the stuff in the house was meant for full sized folk, but Red had at least gotten him a couple pencils. Pip settled down with a piece of paper, planning to practice his art.

 

He’d never really drawn much before, but it couldn’t be too hard, right?

 

~~

 

Red gave another little sigh as pip left the room. He really did feel better that Pip would be off having fun and not just sitting here worrying. Red wasn't worth that kind of attention. It was bad enough when his brother tried to push the issue like that...

 

Once he was alone again, he set the pop tart back down, having only eaten about half of it. He really wasn't hungry.

 

The newly empty room felt even colder now, without the small, steady voice of his bitty friend. Red rolled to his other side. He'd just go back to sleep. Or try to anyway...

 

~~

 

About an hour into his attempts to draw, Pip was getting pretty frustrated. Needless to say, it was a lot harder to do than he’d thought it would be. After two hours, he was ready to growl at the pile of papers starting to grow. By the end of the third hour, he was ready to give up.

 

Another half hour after that, Pip could no longer hold back his worry for Red. Had he still not gotten out of bed? Should Pip go back and read to him some more? Checking up on him shouldn’t hurt, at least.

 

Pip clambered his way into Red’s room and up onto the bed. “How are you feeling?”

 

Pip knew the answer even before he was done speaking. Red hadn’t finished even one of the pop tarts. 

 

~~

 

After a time, Red did find himself drifting off to sleep. Given his general state of mind at the time, however, it was no surprise when what awaited him in dreamland was anything but pleasant dreams. The nightmare tore at him, pulling on him with large hands and laughing voices. He struggled, of course, but there was nowhere near enough strength in his small body. His pleading fell on unsympathetic ears and before long his cries became screams. Images blurred together, tinted red by his tears.

 

In the waking world, his blankets had become tangled around his body. He was damp with sweat and panting, a whimper escaping him every few seconds. His hands pushed at the tangled blankets, struggling with an unseen force. Tears trailed from his tightly clenched sockets.

 

The small voice of his bitty friend went unnoticed.

 

~~

 

Pip frowned when he noticed the tears on his owner’s face. It seemed like Red was asleep, so likely was having a nightmare. He didn’t dare try to wake Red, he knew from experience that being woken up from a bad nightmare could leave someone only slightly aware.

 

If Red saw Pip as an enemy instead of his bitty when he woke up, it wouldn’t end well.

 

Pip instead pulled the book from before closer and started reading in a shaking voice. Hopefully it could help break Red out of the nightmare.

 

~~

 

The soft, shaky voice became a quiet droning in his nightmare, barely enough to be considered background noise over the laughing voices of his tormentors as those hands reached to places he couldn’t stand. Pain lanced through his soul and it felt like he was shattering over and over again. He couldn’t take it. He couldn’t do this again!

 

“P-... Ple-ase…” he muttered in his sleep, sharp claws tearing into the bedding. He was starting to sob now, quiet pleas peppering his whimpers and cries.

 

~~

 

Pip frowned, not sure if he should keep reading or not. It didn’t seem to be helping at all. He set the book down, giving up on that idea.

 

He didn’t know what he should do.

 

He remembered something Jer had taught him when he was little. It wouldn’t work on humans, since they were rarely aware of their souls, and he wasn’t sure if it would work with Red, since he was so much larger than Pip. But it was at least worth a try.

 

He clambered over to be near Red’s chest, and tried to feel for his soul. He was able to connect, but only barely. He sent a small pulse of healing magic into the larger soul, hoping the warmth would help, even if there were no wounds.

 

~~

 

Somehow, gradually, the hands stopped grabbing, the laughter started to fade. The darkness receded and when he glanced around his dreamscape, there was a certain lightness to the place now. It was soft. Warm. He was still shaking, still crying, but the fear was starting to wane. Then, awareness started to drift in. 

 

His blinked his wet sockets open, staring blankly ahead as warmth permeated his being. It was gentle, kind, timid… For a few moments, he simply couldn’t comprehend that nothing was hurting. He was awake now, right? So it should make sense that he wasn’t actually hurt, but even the heaviness that had been pressing on his soul all day seemed to be a distant memory. 

 

His breathing calmed, his gasping sobs diminishing until there were only occasional sniffles. Catching a flicker of movement and light, he turned a little to see Pip, sitting a little further down the bed, nearer to his chest. 

 

They were glowing. Not just Pip, but Red as well. Their souls were giving off a faint flicker of light, prompted by the slow transfer he could now feel Pip giving him. Intent wafted through the connection. The need to help, to heal, to do  _ something _ to make Red feel better.

 

Tears welled back up in his sockets. He tried to say something, his teeth parting slightly as he tried, but no words came forth.

 

Pip had made the nightmare go away. Pip had made the pain stop. Words felt insignificant.

 

~~

 

After a short while of healing, Pip looked up to Red’s face. Red was staring at him. Awake. It worked.

 

Pip shot Red a bright smile, stopping the flow of his magic. He felt dizzy, probably from using so much magic. He sat down, then ended up on his side, happy smile still on his face. “‘M glad it worked.”

 

~~

 

Reds teeth stretched a bit in response. The small curve could barely be called a smile, but it was there all the same, still tinged faintly with his wonder at how light he actually felt right now. He was a little concerned at the way Pip had sat down so quickly, but it was dulled by his slowly building happiness and gratitude. 

 

Without even really thinking about it, he reached out a hand and, very slowly, ran a finger over the side of Pip’s face. There was genuine affection in the gesture. It was only after he’d already done it that he realized what he’d done, however. He blinked wide sockets, shocked at himself. The usual anxiety didn’t spark, however. He could feel the potential for it, but he pulled his hand back before it had the chance to take root.

 

“Thanks…” He managed, feeling a little choked. In a good way, though. And it was obvious he was thanking the little bitty for more than just waking him up.

 

~~

 

Pip leaned his face into the finger, and had to hold back a noise of protest when Red moved it away. He’d seen clearly that Red was afraid of contact, so the small amount of touch made the use of Pip’s magic more than worth it.

 

Pip yawned, closing his eyes. “mm, ‘elcome. ‘M just gonna... take a nap.”

 

Pip started to drift asleep, content smile on his face. He felt he’d earned a good nap.

 

~~

 

Red sat up, his concern flaring a little higher, but the soft snores of his bitty let him know the little guy had just exhausted himself. Red breathed out a little sigh and reached to wipe away some of the tears on his face.

 

“Y-yeah. Yer good little buddy. Rest up.” Slowly, so as not to disturb the sleeping bitty, Red climbed out of bed. Then he turned to pull some of the blanket up over the little one. He watched him fondly for a moment, his hand over the blanket. That light feeling was already starting to fade, though, so he dare not try touching him again.

 

“Ya deserve so much better’n I can give ya…” He sighed once more, though this time it felt heavier. He couldn’t give Pip what he deserved, but he could at least give the little guy what he wanted. Red had been neglecting himself today and worrying his friend. He should probably eat something…

 

He grabbed up the pop tarts, stale from sitting out all day, and made himself eat them as he made his way to the kitchen. Maybe he’d actually try to cook today… Pip would probably appreciate an actual cooked meal, right?

 

~~

 

Pip woke to a good smell. Had Red been cooking? The thought made him smile. If Red was cooking, then maybe his bad day wasn’t so bad anymore!

 

Pip clambered down from the bed, making his way over to the kitchen with the energy only a Baby Blue could muster. His eyes turned to stars when he saw that yes, Red  _ was _ cooking! He made his way up to the counter, using the ladder to get on it. He sat dangling his legs on the edge of the counter, waiting to be noticed.

 

Whatever Red was making, it smelled really good. Well, to Pip at least. He knew that the homes he’d had before rarely had food that Pip could actually eat. But here with Red, Pip didn’t have to go hungry while his owners ate.

 

~~

 

Red was just stirring the pot, trying to make sure nothing burned, when he noticed Pip climbing up his little ladder. Red smiled a little bashfully, giving the pot a few more stirs as his face warmed a little.

 

“Uh, hey. I-I know it ain’t exactly five star shit, but uh… Figured I’d make somethin.” He reached to turn off the stove top and removed the pot from the heat before he went to get out a dish for both himself and Pip. It was pretty good timing on Pip’s part for him to have woken up just when Red had finished. “Edge can do a helluva lot better. But even I can’t fuck up mac n’ cheese.”

 

He chuckled a little, the sound feeling only a bit strained, as he dished them both up. “N’ look! I even found these little hot dogs in the fridge. They’re like, bitty sized, yeah?” He felt a little inordinately proud of that little added bit. He really did hope Pip would like them.

 

~~

 

Pip climbed back down so he could get his serving from Red and made his way over to the couch where they had most of their meals. He took a bite, and his eye-lights formed into little hearts. “This is really good!”

 

Pip could feel the positive intent that had gone into the food. It only took a few bites for his magic to be restored. A few tears started to well in his eyes, much to his embarrassment. It was just- he’d never tasted food cooked with love before, and it was every bit as amazing as he’d imagined.

 

Pip scarfed the rest of his portion before turning to Red. A few tears had fallen down his face, but his eyes still held the form of hazy hearts. “Th-thank you! I’ve never- I’ve never had food with intent like that before. It was always just cheap stuff that never did anything to help my magic. I wasn’t allowed to eat what people cooked.”

 

~~

 

Red flipped on the tv and sat next to Pip. It was already tuned in on a channel they both seemed to like, so he just left it there. He’d only just taken a bite when Pip exclaimed about how good it was. A heat sprung up on Red’s face at the compliment and he swallowed his bite of food a little too hard, the lump of food feeling thick and a little painful on the way down. 

 

“Sh-shit dude, s’just Mac with hot dogs…” he muttered, turning to focus on his food and the tv. It was a little amazing how small things like this just seemed to make the bitty’s day. It didn’t take much to make Pip happy. It just made it all the more pathetic when Red failed to do so. 

 

Maybe… Maybe he should cook more often?

 

He was only half way through his food when Pip finished. Then the little guy’s words and those tears stabbed right through him and made him feel all light and warm at the same time. 

 

“Uh… Heh. Well uh… I-i guess I could try ta cook more then. If ya like it so damn much.” Fuck it. He’d cook every day. If it put a smile like that on Pip’s face then he’d cook every damn day. He’d find a way to muster up the energy for it. Because damn if he was going to deny his bitty something that made him that happy.

 

He couldn’t get his eyes to look at Pip, feeling ten kinds of embarrassed but also beyond happy with the praise. He felt like he’d done something pretty damn right. It was a good feeling.

 

~~

 

“R-really! Thank you so much!” Pip lept to his feet, and had to hold himself back from tackling Red in a hug. He was over the moon at the thought of getting to eat more ‘big person’ food.

 

He didn’t mind that Red couldn’t quite meet his gaze. He could see the blush, and figured that Red was just embarrassed. 

 

Pip’s soul started to glow, not because he was using his magic. He figured it was because of the intense joy he was feeling. He’d had it happen to him before, so he paid little mind to it. He didn’t even notice that the bright blue glow had started to shift slightly in color, turning to be just barely purple.


	5. Chapter 5

 

A few days passed and Red made sure to cook at least one meal each day. He’d mentioned before, though, that he was shit at cooking and he hadn’t been lying. He’d tried to keep things simple so that he couldn’t fuck things up, but that morning he’d ambitiously attempted pancakes. They’d had to open a few windows just to let all the smoke out. 

 

He’d half expected the failure to make his mood plummet, but somehow it hadn’t. Instead he’d told a really bad joke about it and he’d been rewarded with a little giggle. Pip hadn’t let him feel bad about burning their breakfast. And like just about every other day since Edge had brought Pip home, Red found himself smiling.

 

Of course, there were still things that upset them every so often. Red was still broken and Pip had still been through hell. But they did a fairly good job of keeping each other grounded. 

 

Red was noticing a slight shift in the color of Pip’s eye lights as well. He wasn’t sure if that was something to be concerned about or not. He hadn’t brought it up yet, not wanting to make Pip worry if it wasn’t something to be worried about… But maybe he should do some research into it. Surely there would be something on the net about that kind of thing.

 

The day was already over though. So he’d have to remember to get to it tomorrow. He’d already changed into some night clothes and was climbing into his bed. It was even a decent time for bed. Pip had been a pretty big influence on him it seemed.

 

“Ya good, Pip?” He asked, looking to see if the bitty had gotten into bed ok before he’d reach for the lamp to turn out the light.

 

~~

 

Pip smiled from his position on the pillow. He was wearing the comfortable pajamas and curled up in the small, soft blanket Red had gotten for him. He hummed an affirmation to Red.

 

They’d only been settle in bed for a few minutes, not enough for Pip to fall asleep when he heard some odd noises. He was instantly on full alert, opening his socket to reveal his purple eye-lights. There were metallic clinks coming from the living room. Suddenly he heard a door opening, and he stood quickly, throwing his blanket to the side. He glanced over to see if Red had heard it, too.

 

~~

 

Of course Red had heard it too. His sockets had blown wide, fear locking his joints in place the moment he heard his front door open. It wasn’t Edge. he knew it wasn’t Edge. So there was no reason anyone else should be opening that fucking door.

 

One glance at Pip, however, made him unlock his joints and start  _ doing _ something about it. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. What if Pip got hurt? Red would never forgive himself… Quickly, he grabbed for his cellphone on the nightstand and handed it off to Pip.

 

“Call the cops. Stay here.” Quick and to the point. He needed to go see what was up and who the hell it was who’d just broken into his damn house. This was his space, dammit. His, his brother’s and Pip’s. He couldn’t just stand around and let it happen.

 

Quietly, but as quickly as he could, he slipped out of his room and into the hallway. There was the beam of a flashlight moving about that he could see, and he could make out whispers. He took a breath, trying to came his nerves, and let his magic flare in his sockets, ready to throw it around however he needed to.

 

He was formidable. He wasn’t a god damn push over. He had more magic than he damn well knew what to do with. He shouldn’t be breaking out into a cold sweat over the possibility of encountering other people… Hell, fuck ‘possibility’. There were god damn people in his house… He tried to still his shaking body and stepped forward.

 

And then he rounded the corner and saw fucking humans… Two of them… And he froze.

 

Sounds echoed in his head, raucous laughing, jeering, drunken slurs. Images flashed in front of his eyes. Things he knew wasn’t there right now. He tried to push those things aside, keep his grasp on reality, remind himself where he was. All things his therapist had drilled into him, but things that took precious seconds from him as he just stood there dumbly at the mouth of the hallway.

 

A light swept over him. He heard a curse. He lifted his hand to… To do  _ something _ … But before his could even think of what that something might be, a body slammed into his and he went down like a dry pile of sticks.

 

“Jimmy! What the hell!”

 

“Shut up! Don’t use my fuckin name!”

 

“There wasn’t supposed to be anyone here!”

 

“Shut up! I’m tryin to think!”

 

“Shit! Shit! He’s not moving! Did you kill him?!”

 

“Shut up!!”

 

Red couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. There was a person on top of him. A fucking  _ human _ on top of him! He started to shake. He couldn’t… He couldn’t deal with this. He couldn’t do this! There was a human… Holding him down… Hands holding his wrists behind his back while someone… A  _ human _ … Sat on his hips.

 

He could feel them… He could feel hands on his body… He could hear the laughter… Smell the alcohol… 

 

_ ‘Hey! Check out what I found!’ _

 

He could feel those hands… 

 

_ ‘What ya think ‘e’s like under them clothes? All skeleton or what?’ _

 

He could fucking-.... 

 

_ ‘Hah! Look! Look’s like skeletons CAN cry!’  _

 

He couldn’t fucking deal!!

 

He screamed.

 

~~

 

Pip scrambled for the phone, glad to have the direction. He hated to see Red going where it was dangerous, but he was just a bitty. He’d probably just get in the way. Pip hit the power button on Reds phone, then poked the little phone icon that he saw. It pulled up the emergency number right away, saving precious time. After a couple moments he heard a voice speaking on the phone.

 

“911, what’s your emergency?”

 

Pip kept his voice quiet, not wanting to alert the intruders. “W-we just hea-heard the door open. There’s n-no one supposed to be vis-visiting, my owner said to call you. I-I’m not sure what the address is, but ca-can you st-still help us?” 

 

The voice on the other end of the phone was calm, helping to ground Pip. “Let me track your address and I’ll send someone as soon as I can. Please stay on the line.”

 

Pip gave a shaky okay before tuning back into his surroundings. He heard a crash that made him wince. Was Red alright?

 

Then he heard the scream. All thoughts of his size and fighting ability fled from his mind.

 

“R-red!” Pip cried out, jumping from the bed onto a pile of clothing. He ran out of the room, and when he saw Red underneath a human, his magic turned to ice. Anger flooded him, and a blaster popped into the air next to him. It fired at the human holding Red down.

 

The tiny construct did virtually nothing.

 

~~

 

“Shit! Shit! Shut him up! He’s gonna wake the whole damn neighborhood!”

 

“I’m tryin! Just shut up will you?!”

 

A grubby, glove covered hand tried to hold Red’s mouth shut, but it did hardly anything to muffle the noise. Distracted as he was, he almost didn’t notice the bitty or the tiny blaster that popped into existence. It was hard to ignore a bright laser of light, however, and the burglar reacted how anyone would when something was being shot at them. He tried to dodge.

 

Overbalancing, the burglar that had been pinning Red, fell to his back with a shout.

 

“Fuck! Shit! Jimmy, we should just go! We never shoulda-”

 

“What’d I say ‘bout usin my name, fuckwit?!” The fallen burglar shouted, exasperated.

 

Then the distant sound of sirens filtered into the room and both burglars froze. Then the nervous one darted for the door.

 

“I’m out! Knew this was a bad idea!”

 

“Dammit, Carl!” ‘Jimmy’ struggled to his feet and started after his coward of a partner, leaving Red trembling and sobbing on the floor.

 

~~

 

Pip waited until both men were gone before rounding on Red. He rushed over, looking for any injuries. He didn’t see much, it still being dark. All he noticed was how upset Red was. Pip reached out for Red’s soul, pouring his meager amount of healing magic into it the moment he connected.

 

He tried to focus on positive thoughts so the healing magic would work better, but was too shaken to manage happy thoughts. He sniffled, tears sneaking their way down his face. “Re-Red! Ar-are you al-alright?”

 

~~

 

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t fucking breathe! Images of a scene long since past swam in his vision, making his soul feel like it was going to pound it’s way right out of his chest, tear him open and leave him bleeding, bleeding across the cement… No… No it was carpet. He was on carpet... Cold… Cold and hard and scraping against him as he was - No! No, he wasn’t back there! He wasn’t! He wasn’t!! But he could hear them, smell them… fucking taste them on his tongue and he was gagging, sick, he couldn’t breathe!!

 

Something familiar tugged at him, something warm and soothing, but oh so scared. He ached with the need to do something about it, but he was broken, broken and shattered and strewn across a dirty alleyway for his brother to fucking find the next morning.

 

No… No he wasn’t… Shit, he needed to focus. He wasn’t  _ there! _

 

Frantically, he started to claw at one of his arms, trying to ground himself in the quickest way he knew how. Focus. Fucking focus! The pain was old, familiar, something he’d done plenty of times before. He could cling onto that pain. It was something he could control. Something he had power over. It-... 

 

He was able to focus, and when he did he saw the teary face of his bitty. His claws stuttered to a stop. “P-pip?...”

 

~~

 

Pip let out a small cry when Red dug into his own arm. Was Pip only making it worse?

 

Before he could react however, Red finally seemed to break out of his mind. “Red! A-are you o-okay? Yo-you weren’t respondin-ing!”

 

Pip hovered, holding himself back from touching Red. He didn’t want to make it worse, but at the same time he just wanted to feel that Red was alright.

 

~~

 

Crap… He needed to get his shit together. He was scaring Pip. He reached to scrub away his tears, hands shaking so hard they were hardly any use at all. He ended up just making the mess worse, smearing his tears and the fresh marrow from his arm all over the place.

 

“I-I-i-... S-sorry… I-...” Dammit. It’s just speaking. It’s not that hard to do! “I-i’m- I’m ok.. I-...” Fuck. He was so bad at this…

 

And Pip looked so worried. Crying and trying to pick up Red’s pieces even though Pip was barely held together himself. He shouldn’t have to deal with this. Shouldn’t have to deal with the mess that Red was. But here he was anyway.

 

~~

 

Pip sniffed, wiping at his own tears. More flowed to take their place, and Pip gave up after a few moments. “I-I’m so gla-aaad.”

 

Red was alright. Pip was alright. They were both shaken, sure, but it was alright.

 

Pip flinched when there was a soft knocking noise at the door. He relaxed slightly when he saw that it was just a police officer. Seeing that she had his attention, the kind-looking dog monster spoke up. “Hey there. I was just coming in to get your statement. My partner’s got two folks in the patrol car, were there more than that?”

 

Pip shook his head, before moving to almost shyly hide behind Red.

 

~~

 

Red flinched at the knock then locked up at the sound of another voice. He almost couldn’t get himself to look up and see who was at the door, but when he did, he breathed a small sigh of relief. 

 

A monster. Not a human.

 

Still not pleasant to deal with, especially when he was so shattered mentally, but not completely debilitatingly terrible. And then Pip ducked behind him a little and Red was able to slot a few more pieces of himself back where they were supposed to be. He couldn’t just make Pip handle this on his own. Red needed to be a functioning fucking monster for two seconds.

 

He struggled a little to push himself up into a more or less seated position on the floor so that he wouldn’t be sprawled out and helpless in front of another person. He’d only ever felt moderately ok like that in front of his brother… And now Pip apparently… There was no way he was going to allow himself to stay like that when someone he didn’t know was in the room.

 

“J-just the t-two....” He forced out.

 

~~

 

Pip stayed behind Red, slightly afraid. While logically he knew the police officer wouldn’t hurt him, he couldn’t shake the fear off. He knew he had been lucky that the humans had left when they did. While he had managed to scare them, if they hadn’t run, then he’d be in just as bad a situation as Red had been, if not worse.

 

The police officer was able to sense how shaken both the skeletons were. As a dog monster, she had trained at one point to be able to help others even before she had decided to become an officer. She mixed that training in with her officer training often, and had become well loved for it. In this case, she decided to sit down on the floor herself so she wasn’t towering over the larger skeleton.

 

“Alright. Can you tell me what happened while the two were here?”

 

~~

 

Red forced himself to breathe. In to the count of four. Out to the count of five. Again. The dog wasn’t coming any closer. Hell, she looked like she’d be perfectly happy to stay right where she was the entire time she was here. It was fine. She was feet away.

 

“Th-they uh… We-we were just gettin in bed… Heard the-... the door open…” He took a shuddering breath, moving to wrap his arms around himself. “G-gave Pip th-the phone… H-had ‘im call ya while I-...” Damn… he’d been so stupid… “I went ta see-...” He buried his face in his hands, breathing out a harsh, angry breath. “I went out like a f-fuckin dumbass and one of ‘em… O-one of ‘em jumped on me…. I-... I-I can’t remember a lot after that….”

 

Useless. Completely useless. He’d been worse than useless! How could he have been such a fucking idiot?!

 

~~

 

The dog wrote down what she was told, before nodding. “Alright. That should be enough info. One of the two decided to try and attack my partner to avoid getting caught, so We should be able to get them some good jail time. If you would like to press charges, I’ll leave my contact info with you.”

 

A small note was left near the door. She doubted someone so shaken would be able to press charges, but she hoped he would. Far too many criminals escaped the law because victims were unable to speak up. “I’ll leave so you both can calm down.”

 

Pip relaxed when the door was shut behind the dog monster. He came out from behind Red, moving so he could see his owner’s face.

 

~~

 

Heh. Charges. Hell fucking yes he would be pressing charges. He wasn’t about to let anyone get away with terrorizing him in his own damn home. But… Later… That was for later…

 

The dog officer left and Red felt himself relax just a little more. With that small added level of comfort, however, came the flood of feelings he just really did not want to deal with right now. He still needed to worry about Pip. He still needed to make sure his bitty was ok, keep it together enough not to worry his little friend.

 

“Well… Th-that was-...” He tried to smile, tried to make a joke, but he was already starting to shake again, tears stinging his sockets. And when he looked down to see Pip, he looked so damn worried, but at the same time like he was willing to sit right there and shoulder all of Red’s problems for him. Stars… What did he ever do to deserve Pip…

 

He couldn’t do it… He couldn’t get his smile back in place. He couldn’t hold himself together. 

 

He reached out, hand still shaking, and offered just a finger. He needed someone to help hold him together. Just for a little while. And Pip was everything Red had never known he’d needed. And he was so small… definitely not a threat on any level, even if he’d wanted to be. 

 

He reached a little further, hooking that finger around one of Pip’s arms, and breathed out.

 

It was ok. Pip only ever helped. And he helped now, making Red feel a little bit stronger than he could have been on his own.

 

~~

 

When Red started shaking again, Pip couldn’t help but worry some. Something those humans had done had set Red off, and Pip hated them for it.

 

Then Red reached out to Pip for the second time.

 

Pip was almost overwhelmed. Red had just gone through something that had left him a shaking, trembling mess, and yet he reached out to Pip. He actually felt safe enough to push past his fear of touch. 

 

It said louder than words that Red  _ trusted _ Pip.

 

Pip slowly reached to hug Red’s finger. He kept his hold loose, so Red could easily move back. He didn’t say anything, didn’t need to.

 

Red was Pip’s person, and if he needed Pip, then he’d be there.

 

~~

 

He supposed this was a bit like holding someone’s hand, except adjusted for Pip’s small size. It was surprisingly comforting, made even better by the fact that Red was able to  _ touch _ someone without freaking out. He felt stronger for it, empowered. Like there was at least that little bit of him that wasn’t broken.

 

He sat like that for a while, just allowing his tears to flow. He wasn’t ok. But he felt like he might be, some time later. And that was enough.

 

“Do… Do ya think yer gonna be able ta sleep t’night?..” He asked after a while. He wasn’t about to dare to try sleep himself, not after his memories had been stirred up like they had, but he wasn’t about to deny Pip if the little guy was tired. 

 

~~

 

“I-I’m not sure.” Pip shuddered lightly. “Not right now, but maybe a bit later.”

 

Pip sniffed, still not fully calmed down. When he had seen that human on top of Red, he had been so afraid. He didn’t even want to think about how close he had been to losing the best owner he’d ever had. If one of those humans had actually wanted to hurt Red...

 

Pip buried his face in the hand he was hugging. His breath hitched. A few tears streaked down to join those from before.

 

~~

 

“Yeah… M-me neither…” Red admitted, the barest hint of a shameful smile on his face. He reached with his free hand to wipe away a few stray tears, then glanced down to his bitty friend. He tried to pull that smile into something a little more comforting. He wasn’t sure how well he did.

 

Hand shaking still, but a whole lot less than it had been earlier, he moved to rub his thumb over Pip’s face, catching a few of those tears to gently rub them away. That was fine too. He was able to do that and the panic didn’t immediately flare up in his chest. Somehow, Pip had become ‘safe’ for him. His soul thumped hard in his chest at the realization, another couple of tears springing from his own sockets.

 

“H-how bout we watch a movie ‘er somethin.” He offered, not wanting to just sit on the floor all night.

 

~~

 

Pip leaned into Red’s hand as his tears were wiped away. His eyes closed, and the turmoil in his 

 

soul quieted down a small bit. It was enough to keep him from bursting into sobs, at least.

 

“K-kay.” Pip let go of Red’s hand slowly, missing the contact almost immediately. He made his way to the couch slowly. Now that he was starting to calm down, he was getting tired. He didn’t want to go to bed, however. Not when he’d likely just face nightmares of dust.

 

~~

 

Red staggered to his feet as well and simply followed after the little skeleton. He wasn’t quite brave enough to try picking Pip up to carry him over to the couch. Even if he did already miss the contact they’d shared. 

 

It was a little frightening, actually, how much he missed it. He’d gone so long with every touch feeling like a long drop from somewhere high. And now he’d found someone who’s touch soothed rather than hurt. Maybe it was understandable for him to crave it…

 

When they got to the couch he flipped on the tv and channel surfed until he found something moderately light hearted. Then pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and Pip’s blanket from the arm rest. 

 

They’d barely gotten settled when an urge struck him. He almost didn’t go through with it… He wasn’t certain if it would be ok. But in the end he figure Pip would probably be happier for it. So Red  reached for him once more, but this time he scooped him up and moved the little guy to his lap. It was over top of the blanket, so he didn’t feel the weight very much. It didn’t bother him. He ended up keeping his hand close to the bitty.

 

“This ok?” He was sure it was, but he felt off balance and unsure of himself.

 

~~

 

When he was placed in Red’s lap, tension he hadn’t even registered drained out of Pip’s small frame. He gave Red a small smile. “Yeah. Thanks.”

 

Pip turned back to the tv, bundling up in his tiny blanket. He watched for a while, however after a point it all blurred together. He wasn’t even sure what the plot was anymore. He tried to keep his eyes open, not wanting to face nightmares.

 

Despite his best efforts, the droning of the tv lulled him to sleep.

 

~~

 

Red relaxed as well when Pip gave his response, then allowed his eyes to drift up to the tv. It was rather amazing, actually, how much better he felt. Barely an hour ago he’d had probably one of his worst episodes to date, but now… He’d almost say he was calm. He wasn’t sure what kind of magic Pip had worked on him, but he appreciated it. He wasn’t about to question it.

 

After some time of watching tv, he found his sockets drifting shut. He fought it. He knew what would be waiting for him if he fell asleep. Seeking a distraction, he looked to Pip, but the little one had already slumped over. It was so surprised, really. It had been a long night and many exhausting things had happened. He was a little impressed Pip had pushed for as long as he had.

 

Fearing nightmares would come for his little friend, Red moved to gently pet a finger over that small skull. He smiled a little when Pip nuzzled into the touch.

 

He wouldn’t sleep. Instead, he would guard Pip’s rest. There. Distraction found. 

 

He directed his gaze back up to the tv, feeling a little more awake, his finger still absently petting Pip’s little head.


End file.
